My nature compels me to seek out every bit of information on a subject, no matter how seemingly insignificant. So, instead of simply working with the one book, each chapter devoted to yogic technique on enlivening each chakra, I went all out.

What is the special mudra (hand gesture) for muladhara (1st, or root, chakra)?

What animal totem can I visualize for swadhisthana (2nd, or sacral, chakra)?

What incense to burn?

What tea to drink?

What sounds to listen to? (Turns out there are recordings of Tibetan singing bowls for each chakra, that you can buy on iTunes!)

And, of course, what crystals or stones are associated with each chakra? Because every piece of info I found led to another, as it often does in the information age, and I kept seeing references to crystals and stones.

Enter, two recovering addicts.

About a year ago, my best friend Sally (who I believe to be definitely recovered, but I guess that’s a thing: you’re always in recovery) was the lucky recipient of another person’s relinquished addiction. This lady was addicted to collecting gem stones, and I suppose the gem stones themselves. I don’t know if it was a hoarding thing, and then the power of the stones also took over? All I know is my friend now has a buttload of crystals and gems and stones–boxes and boxes and boxes of them.

Sally doesn’t necessarily consider that a good thing, and she surrenders them freely to anyone. She had even learned to make jewelry with them, to sell on eBay and such.

I didn’t really need them and I don’t wear jewelry much, though I thought they were lovely. Until the chakra balancing began…

Enter, a homeless friend.

Jeez, I’m not going into that here–that’s far beyond the scope of my humble post. Suffice it to say, homeless friends can complicate situations, and Sally and I…lost touch for a snippet of time.

But, I was knee-deep in my chakra balancing and I needed to put those stones on my body somehow! Thankfully, I had already procured the stones, yet I had no idea how to make jewelry, especially hippie dippy jewelry! Jewelry making was never in the plans.

Plans change, my friends. Float along or drown in the deluge.

And, as my favorite horoscope caster says of the Ares (me):

“Ares, the visionary, the optimistic heart, the one who believes a skill they don’t have is just something they haven’t learned yet.” —Gala Mukomolova, Galactic Rabbit

I drove to Michael’s, I bought some tools and wires and hooks, and I learned to make jewelry. Probably badly, but it’s really fun to see something beautiful completed so quickly. Most of my art takes months, if not years, to complete.

Enter, a happy little boy.

Well, at first he was very unhappy, and this is the strangest thing yet about chakra balancing with Kundalini Yoga & Meditation. My son and I are so close that he seems to be picking up on it, on the soul level.

I’ve been spending 7 days on each chakra, meditating and doing yoga every morning before Liam wakes up. Last week, I was working on my solar plexus chakra, the human talent of which is commitment and purpose. The shadow emotion (what you feel when you have problems with this chakra) is anger. My son had a couple very angry episodes, which were quite out of character, before I figured it out.

Yesterday was the first day that I worked with the heart chakra.

I’ll admit it, that first morning was rough and it continues to be. In the beginning, for me anyway, there seems to be a serious healing-from-old-wounds thing happening. Right before Liam woke up, and I was pondering my morning meditation (and all the angst and loves lost from years and years of dating), I looked at the Rose Quartz necklace I had made.

I am just not comfortable wearing a pink crystal necklace.

I don’t know why. I have a huge, gorgeous chunk of Rose Quartz that I keep on my woo woo altar for the morning soul purge, when I meditate. My psychic tells me it will be ugly and gray by the time I’m done with it. Works like a charm and I love it.

A pink necklace just isn’t my style, though, so I chose one of the other stones that are supposed to be good for the heart chakra: Jade. About that time, my son woke up, sleepily surfed around for a minute on his iPad, and found a slice of what sounded to his ears like a sad love song: Clarity, by Zedd.

He started bawling.

This child knows nothing about complicated love stories. But his mom does.

In short, I let him wear the pink necklace. Rose Quartz is supposed to carry a “soft feminine energy of compassion and peace, tenderness and healing, nourishment and comfort.” Perfect for my sweet son at that moment.

I’m so glad I opened my mind to jewelry making!

He wore it all day…and made me listen to that song all day, to which I privately, inwardly wept. Maybe I’ll wear the pink crystal myself next time. Better make another one.